


Yes, Mr. Jones

by thedoctorwatcheshetalia



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, M/M, Office AU, Omegaverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-29 12:52:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6375526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedoctorwatcheshetalia/pseuds/thedoctorwatcheshetalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’ll call me Mr. Jones, and you’ll do all my dirty work for minimum wage, got it, omega?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been craving this for too long.

The day had been downright terrible.

It all had started off with his alarm forgetting to ring. Well, obviously not forgetting, seeing as technology tended not to have a mind of its own, so Arthur must’ve forgotten to set the alarm. Since he wasn’t feeling that spectacular, he decided to blame it on inanimate objects that obviously weren’t sentient enough to make mistakes.

Thank God for his biological clock, though it had still been half-an-hour off. Arthur cursed under his breath, shuffling out of the warmth of his bed and into his tiny bathtub. Shivering fingers turned on the hot water and Arthur moaned as he was hit with the steaming, soothing liquid, seeping into his worn skin, easing the grogginess out of Arthur’s emerald eyes.

He scrubbed himself down with an aromatherapeutic shower gel and fought himself out after what seemed like a lifetime, wrapping his steaming body in an unhelpful towel. He hadn’t any time to carefully plan out his outfit, so he settled for his signature outfit- green sweater vest paired with a white dress shirt,  red tie and the first pair of trousers he could find.  

His kitchen was bare, save for a box of cereal. Arthur had glanced at the time with a wide-eyed gasp and almost pissed himself. He had _five minutes_ left to catch up to his schedule.

The omega seriously contemplated taking a thermos of milk with cheerios onto the bus with him… but all the milk in the fridge had curdled.

Not even a cup of tea fueled his day.

He growled and dumped a fistful of the crunchy stuff into a Ziploc bag, throwing his work bag around his shoulders and bounding out of his front door… then bumping into someone only to knock over all his ‘food’ onto the dirty ground.

The bus ride wasn’t quite pleasant either. He’d been given dirty looks by half its passengers, and the alpha behind him had practically been grinding against him the whole time. 

Cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and anger, the omega was dropped off at the wrong stop and he had to sprint to his new workplace, the sun a little too up in the sky to fit Arthur’s fancy. It was getting late… 

The guard at the gate had raised an eyebrow at Arthur’s sob story. Obviously, he didn’t believe the Brit. Any criminal could come up with a story more convincing than his.

“Are you, Arthur Kirkland?” the beta man asked with his deep, silken voice. Arthur stopped mid-speech and nodded erratically.

“Yes! Please let me in, I’m _late!”_

The man chuckled at Arthur’s discomfort and opened the gate far and wide, “You’d better run little omega. Boss’ll crush ya.”

Arthur could hear his heartbeat in his ears and feel it thumping in his fingertips as he scrambled in, pushing through the glass doors and searching frantically for someone to tell him where he was supposed to meet his so-called boss. He caught the attention of some other alpha man by the vending machine. With soft blonde waves reaching down to his shoulders and the first three buttons on his silk shirt undone, Arthur knew he was going to regret asking, but he was too desperate to care.

“Where can I find Mr. Jones!?”

The man looked up, sipping from his plastic cup, “Second floor-”

Arthur took off as soon as he heard it. Skipping the slow elevator, he bounded up the stairs, fancy shoes making annoying clacking noises against the wood. Soon, he found himself on said second floor. Green eyes searched frantically for his destination and stopped at the sight of a door being thrown open. A tall, brunette stumbled out, red-stained lips trembling on her flushed face. After setting her eyes on Arthur, she burst into tears and ran away in shame, the drops of hot salt water streaking down her make-up caked face.

Arthur didn’t want to believe it but felt all his hope drain away like the color on his face when his emerald eyes fell upon the placard next to the door.

_Alfred Jones._

Bloody Hell. Arthur’s brain told him to curl into a ball and sob but his legs carried him toward the room, knuckles coming to knock at the open door. He could feel himself trembling as well- I mean, why wouldn’t he be? He’d just seen his _boss-to-be_ brutally fire someone!

“The bitch didn’t even close the goddamn door.” the man in the room cursed and Arthur’s heart jumped into his throat, “Come in.”

Deep breath. _One, two, three, four, five._ Arthur exhaled and took the step in-

-then fell on his face.

Everything went tumbling around him as he squawked, losing his balance. The ground came barreling into his vision and a shooting pain pierced him as his body embraced the floor.

Bloody shoelaces.

Attempting a pushup, Arthur tried pulling himself up using the strength of his flimsy arms, but that didn’t work either. He plopped back on the ground and cried out in pain.

A wave of embarrassment washed over him, heat pooling into his face until Arthur was a bright red. Everything around him blurred into a crystal clear and he took another deep breath, heaving himself up to his feet and brushing down his sweater. 

The first and middle button of his shirt had become undone his shoelaces whipped his ankles as he took more shy steps.

The man at the desk stared at him, expression void of emotion. Just a bored, blue-eyed glare. Arthur gulped and reached under his sweater vest, hastily buttoning his shirt.

“Who are _you?”_ Mr. Jones said, narrowing his eyes.

“Arthur Kirkland, your personal assistant… sir.” He’d added the ‘sir’ in hopes of hopping back onto the American’s good side but the man just kept glaring with those cold, wintery eyes that would’ve been gorgeous if they weren’t piercing all of Arthur’s internal organs.

“You’re almost an hour late.”

Arthur gasped, _an hour!?_

“Ah, well you see, my alarm didn’t work and- and I got off at the wrong stop, then I couldn’t find the room and-”

“I don’t like excuses… what did you say your name was again? Adrian?”

“Arthur, sir.”

“Such a disappointment to a name sounding so noble.” the alpha boss mused, “Late on your first day, and not even a sense of gracefulness.”

Arthur’s cheeks flared a deeper red, “I’m sorry, I didn’-”

Mr. Jones flashed him an angry glare and the omega shut right up, displaying his mock docility by ducking his head in shame. Arthur hated alphas like Alfred who thought they could shut people up with that _look,_ but he had no other choice. He glanced up to find Alfred shuffling around in his desk drawer before throwing two small, circular plasters onto the wooden desk.

“Don’t you even have the common sense to take a couple of suppressants before coming in? Put these on, you’re stinking up the place.”

Arthur trembled as he carefully scooped the plasters into his palm, peeling them open and sticking them onto his scent glands. Alfred leaned back in his chair, “You’ll call me Mr. Jones, and you’ll do all my dirty work for minimum wage, got it, omega?”

Arthur flinched but nevertheless found himself nodding. “Yes, Mr. Jones.”

“Good. Go get me something to drink.”

Arthur nodded, scrambling out for at least half a minute before slinking back in, “What kind of drink, sir?”

Alfred scowled, “Get me a coke from the vending machine.”

Arthur wanted to ask further questions, but the piercing look he got after the command was enough to chase him out. Shaking his head, he took languid steps back down to the first floor. After asking directions to the vending machine and looking like a complete idiot, Arthur found himself back next to the man who’d helped him not long ago.

One look at Arthur’s face and the alpha man began to laugh, “I see you’ve met the boss.”

Now that Arthur had actually listened, he confirmed that the man had a French accent.

“I have,” Arthur said tiredly, only realizing he didn’t have any money with him as he glared balefully at the vending machine.

“Looking for a coke can? Just hit the machine two times.” the alpha said with a smirk, “My name is Francis, by the way. Must be hard for a little omega like you to be working under the ever-so-hateable Mr. Jones.”

“What’s his deal?” Arthur exclaimed, bending down to fetch the can that had rolled out as soon as he brought his angry fist down upon the machine twice.

“I would say something along the lines of, ‘he had his heart broken one too many times’, but that’s too cliché. Even for _moi._ He’s just a dick. Always has been, always will be.”

Arthur chuckled at that, “I can tell.”

“I’m only here because I’m dating his elder brother. I get to keep this job as long as I am. As soon as I break dear _Matthieu’s_ heart, I’m fired. You?”

“My friend works here. From the looks of it, she was fired this morning.” Arthur informed, making his way back to the bar to get himself a nice, flaky croissant.

“Try it with the strawberry jam,” Francis said with a smile, taking the pastry into his hands and buttering it up with finesse. “What made you want to work here?”

Arthur scowled, “Felt like I needed to prove something to the family… uh, Mr. Jones isn’t one for sexual assault, right?”

Francis only laughed in response.

“Right!?”

“With a face like yours, I doubt sexual assault will be the case.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes, snatching his breakfast back into his hands and scoffing.

“I’m only kidding.” Francis said with a good chuckle, “I wouldn’t worry about Alfred too much. He’s never been one for those things.”

Arthur’s eyes flickered up to the clock and he almost shrieked. It had been almost ten minutes since he was given the order to fetch a drink. How the hell did time fly by so fast!?

He abandoned all his values and tore away from the conversation, this time taking the elevator instead. Thankfully he found the door to the office to be wide open, so he ran right in-

-tripping over the same thing that had made him fall the first time.

The coke can must’ve not been gripped tight enough because the thing jumped right out of his hand…. and hit Alfred in the face.

“Fuckin’ _hell!”_ the alpha yelped. Arthur couldn’t see Mr. Jones’ expression because he was back on his stomach, face buried into his breakfast.

“Um, d-d’you need help up?” He heard another voice say. Soon, he was being helped to his feet, the croissant being peeled off his face and put back on the plastic plate. Arthur almost wished he could keep the bread over his eyes so he wouldn’t have to face Alfred ever again, but alas, God hated him that day.

Blue eyes swam with fury behind their crookedly-placed spectacles. Arthur could see the bruise forming on his tanned cheekbone and the can now resided in his closed fist, the puncture in the can causing the soda to come dribbling down his fingers.

Another man stood next to Arthur, looking almost identical to Alfred save for the rounder features, taller stature, and kinder expression. The omega man was most likely the Matthew that Francis had been talking about.

Arthur winced, “I think there’s something tripping me in the carpe-”

“Shut up!” Alfred barked. The omega next to Arthur patted his shoulder almost reassuringly.

“Alfred-”

“No, Mattie, j-just step out for a moment, will ya?”

The omega nodded, giving Arthur a sympathetic look before slinking out of view. Arthur brushed the crumbs from his red-hot face, clenching his jaw tightly and taking deep breaths, steeling himself for the inevitable lecture.

“How long does it take to get to the vending machine, get a goddamn can, and get right back?”

Arthur bit his lip, “I was hungry, so-”

“Okay,” Alfred said, slamming the papers in his hand onto his desk, startling the trembling omega. “How long does it take to get a granola bar too? Not that long, Arthur.”

What was Arthur supposed to say? _I don’t like granola bars!?_ The omega’s cheeks flushed an embarrassed red and he stammered, “I-”

“Let me tell you what happened. You went down there, got to the vending machine, and batted your lashes at some alpha, didn’t you?”

Arthur furrowed his brows, eyes narrowing at the accusation. Did this man actually think Arthur was interested in those kinds of things? It made his blood boil. As if he’d risk getting his ass fired to get a phone number handed to him.

“Did I stutter!?”

Arthur shook his head, “No, Mr. Jones, you’ve got it wrong-”

“Have I? Because it seems to me that I’ve made the wrong decision in letting an omega like you to be my personal assistant- if you can’t work worth _shit_ and can’t keep it in your goddamn pants!”

Arthur bit back the words he wanted so badly to throw at the alpha. Alfred was just so damn infuriating. Unlike him, Arthur wasn’t born with a silver spoon. He lived in a family of all alpha brothers and one alpha sister, both his parents had been betas. He was the only omega in his family and every second of his life, he’d been scoffed at, looked down upon, viewed as a sex object, verbally abused, and pushed down. He’d finally worked his ass off to get where he was now, and his alpha-supremacist boss had the right to tell him he couldn’t keep it in his pants!? 

As if.

“In my office, I treat everyone the same. Don’t think you can get away with shit like this by twirling your finger through your hair.” He sat up straight in his chair with a menacing curl of his lip, “Get the fuck out of my sight and get it together, Kirkland. I’m expecting you back in ten minutes. Try not to get distracted.”

Arthur trembled, fingernails digging into his palms, “Y-yes, Mr. Jones.”

The omega’s vision swam and soon, a hot tear streaked down his face. Turning away as quickly as he could, he stormed out of the dreaded room, taking the elevator and swinging into the omega restroom. Afraid to look at himself in the mirror, Arthur bent over the sink, running cold water into his palms and pressing it to his flushed face.

Alfred didn’t deserve his tears.

On his way back up to the office, Arthur stopped by the vending machine, getting a can of coca-cola to present to his boss as a token of peace- but oh, what Arthur would give to smack Alfred upside the head. 

Repeatedly. 

With a chair. 

Instead, he just sighed and did everything he was told. For now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really, really insecure about this chapter, so give me your thoughts on it! I don’t really like to bother my betas but just ask Kat and Kii how many times I freaked out on them xD Somehow, I was compelled to make this chapter good because lately, looking at my writing is making me really… sad? Depressed? I don’t know. Anyway, have this!

For the whole of the next month, Arthur arrived at all of his destinations on time. The omega worked his _arse_ off trying to keep up with Alfred’s fast-paced requests. He tried not to give the alpha boss any more reasons to yell at him, but that didn’t seem to stop Mr. Alfred Jones. 

The alpha remained his same, screeching self. Yelling at employees left and right, unsatisfied with everything… Alfred found ways to pick on Arthur for the smallest things that wouldn’t have bothered him otherwise, save for the fact that _Arthur_ was the one doing those things. The omega had gotten used to the noise by now, and the embarrassment of being called out didn’t affect him as much.

 He still found himself pretending to squeeze Alfred’s neck behind his back though, and he was so damn sure his boss had repeated the action to him once or twice- but, there were some days that Arthur would be tricked into believing Alfred Jones was somewhat human.

Today was one of those days.

* * *

The mild sun beat down on Arthur as he triumphantly rushed from the bus stop. He’d woken up late, but the fear of being scolded like he had on the first day had fueled him to make it on the dot. He skidded to a halt in front of the gate, flashing the guard his ID card though the beta man was able to recognize him by face now.

“Come on in, Arthur.” He said with a smile. “I see someone has barely made it.”

Arthur smirked, greeting the guard with a curt wave. “Barely is an understatement.

The beta smiled, pushing the gate open with a flourish. “Boss still isn’t here.”

The corners of Arthur’s lips tilted up once again. _Success._

These days, it had been a losing competition on his part to see if the day ever came where Arthur showed up first. Though he’d half-assed his entire morning, this result was sweet. Oh yes.

_“Hold the gate, bro!”_

There he was. The man himself. Arthur stifled a villainous laugh as Alfred ran up next to him, panting from the sprint he’d taken to get there.

“Running late, are we?” Arthur crooned. Though the spoken sentence was hesitant, he played it off by inspecting his nails.

Alfred rolled his eyes, walking alongside the omega as Arthur swaggered through the gate, not bothering to hold open the door though his alpha boss was trailing right behind him.

Alfred grunted, pushing open the glass door he’d managed to catch by the skin of his teeth before it slammed shut in his face, “I was on a date with an important business partner’s daughter-”

“I don’t like excuses, Mr… James, was it?”

Arthur heard the alpha growl from behind him, coaxing his own lips to curl upward. Alfred hurried to Arthur’s side as the omega stopped by the vending machine to get himself a packet of crisps.

“What is this, huh? Revenge?”

Revenge. Arthur supposed he could call it that. In their first meeting, the omega had allowed the abusing events to play out. God knew why, but now he was prepared for Alfred to choke on his own medicine. The alpha should’ve known his personal assistant wasn’t the docile type- or at least, not for long. 

“No, sir, nothing of the sort,” Arthur quipped. His boss rolled his eyes and began his daily routine of making himself a cup of coffee.

Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out a circular plaster, fingers fumbling with it as he stuck it in the general vicinity of his scent gland. With a controlled exhale, he crumpled up the wrappings of the plaster and shoved it in his pocket, tapping his foot leisurely as the vending machine buzzed and whirred, pulling the packet of crisps from its hold and dropping it down for Arthur to take.

“Uh- Arthur. I’ve got a small question,” Alfred asked out of the blue, putting a lid on his cup and glancing up to meet Arthur’s quizzical gaze. “Um, do you omegas have like a secret signal or something?”

Secret signal? Alfred must’ve seen the confusion on Arthur’s face because he cleared his throat, motioning for the omega to follow him to the elevator with pink cheeks.

“Ya know, for when you’re interested in someone?”

Arthur chuckled, popping his bag open, “I’m guessing your date wasn’t clear with her emotions, sir.”

“You could say that,” Alfred mused as the doors opened, “I had no idea someone could be so… riddle-y.”

“Not everyone can be as blunt as you, Mr. Jones.” Arthur dared to say, playing off his potential insult with a quick, “What exactly did she say?”

Alfred narrowed his eyes, “Nothing. Nothing at all. But she did… uh, stare some.”

Arthur nodded, pursing his lips, “She can’t have hated you. You’re young, you’re successful… to add to it, you don’t look too bad either.”

The elevator doors opened and Arthur strode out, hoping he could walk fast enough to escape his boss for a while. Lord knew where that compliment came from!He prayed to God the color on his face wouldn’t betray the fact that he was kicking himself on the inside.

Arthur came to a stop outside their door, stepping to the side so Alfred could unlock it.

The alpha pulled his keys out of his pockets and gave Arthur a smirk, “You think so?”

Arthur shrugged, “You have your own office in this giant building… with a _bronzed_ placard.Anyone with common sense would know you’re loaded.”

Alfred frowned at that, pulling open the door with a grunt. “I meant the looks thing.”

The alpha yelped as his foot caught on the lump in his carpet. Arthur watched with a hidden smile on his face as Alfred tumbled to the floor, his coffee spilling against his fingertips as his glasses fell askew on his face. 

Arthur set right the coffee cup at once, stemming the spill with the tissues on his boss’ desk before turning to help his boss up. It was rather nice seeing Alfred there at his feet. Arthur heaved the alpha to his feet and smoothed down his rumpled jacket, fixing the glasses on his face before stepping back and letting Alfred comb his fingers through his hair, his face a darker red now. 

“Careful, sir!” Arthur said, unable to hide his smile as he handed the man his coffee, “There’s something in the carpet.”

“So you weren’t lying about it.” Alfred said with pursed lips, straightening up as he looked down at his omega employee, “I- uh, owe you somewhat of an apology, Kirkland.”

“No apology is needed, Mr. Jones.” Arthur said, “Seeing you almost fall on your face was enough for me.”

The alpha flashed Arthur a narrow-eyed look that shut him up instantly though the expression was quite half-hearted in the first place. Arthur reached into his pocket for a pen, scribbling a ‘get floor checked’ on his wrist.   

The alpha hummed, tip-toeing his way across the room, mindful of any other possible lumps in the ground. He gave Arthur a half-hearted scowl before sinking into his comfortable chair and playing with the two American flags he had installed on a little paperweight. Alfred nibbled at his lower lip, plucking out a flag and waving it in the air. 

Arthur stood there shifting from foot to foot, marinating in the awkward silence. Usually, Alfred would bark an order as soon as they entered the room. But now, judging by the small, flickering movements of those sapphire eyes, Arthur would assume the alpha was trying to think of something to say. Possibly small talk.

“It- uh, it smells kinda nice in here today. You didn’t get a new perfume or something, did you?”

The omega froze. He didn’t expect the compliment. Though he should’ve said something polite back, he found himself a bit flustered, considering his situation. 

The corners of his lips quirked down and he moistened them with a quick flash of his tongue, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. A deep red blossomed on his porcelain skin, “Um- no, Mr. Jones, uh- that’s my-”

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

Arthur groaned, “I didn’t know whether to come to work or not. I tried to cover it up with everything I could, i-is it that obvious?”

“Is what obvious?” Alfred said with a tilt of his head.

Arthur held his head in his hands, “My mouth… I’m sorry, it’s rather dry, sir.”

He’d been expecting Alfred to yell at him or something, but the alpha opened his desk drawer instead, rummaging around, hand coming back with two wrapped sweets. It was the type of frosted cakes you get at gas stations. Spongy with a cream-filled center. Arthur could feel himself salivating just by the look of them. 

“Want one?”

Saying so, Alfred threw the thing at his personal assistant. The omega made an embarrassing sound as the snack hit his face, falling to his feet and bouncing behind him. Grumbling, he bent down, hands groping and fumbling around the floor in search for the food that he wasn’t sure he even wanted.

Helping himself back up to his feet with a soft grunt, Arthur brushed his hands on his trousers. “I’m going into pre-” the omega’s sentence fell short as he turned on his heels, finding his boss to be… _ogling_ him. 

It could’ve been something else entirely, of course, but it was hard to mistake that look Arthur so often received from roguish alphas. Cheeks flushed a dark shade of red and blue eyes dilated down to thin rings as they focused on the area his arse would’ve been in if he hadn’t turned around.

“You- uh, sorry, _preheat?”_ Alfred said, snapping out of his haze and toying with the pen in his long fingers, “That’s risky, Artie, in closed quarters with an alpha- er, like me.”

Alfred cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair and grinding his teeth. The alpha then proceeded to conspicuously run his eyes up and down the omega’s body.

Arthur seethed, clenching his jaw and flaring a bright red.  Sure, Arthur had gotten used to alphas being shameless on a daily basis, but this was Alfred. His _boss._

“Quite.” Arthur had said slowly, putting his hands on his hips and slightly narrowing his eyes, “But I’ve never had a problem with my preheat so I assumed all would be well today.”

Alfred nodded absentmindedly, fingers struggling to peel away the wrapper of his snack, “Uh- yeah, that makes sense but you still might wanna take a break, ya know?”

Take a break? Was this the same person or had a more merciful demon taken the place of his satanic boss?

“That won’t be needed.” Arthur assured, “I’m fine.”

The American rose from his chair, patting his pockets and pulling out a cell, pressing and swiping for a while before pressing the Bluetooth hooked around his ear, “Yeah, Tony? Drive my P.A back to his house-”

“Mr. Jones, I assure you, I’m fine.”

Alfred held up a hand to silence Arthur, “I don’t know where he lives, Tony! Ask him!”

The omega groaned. No, this was unnecessary.

“Mr. Jo-”

“Yeah, he’s an omega.” Alfred said, tapping his chin, “Ugh, no Tony. Jeez, man, I don’t even think he’s into betas.”

Arthur flushed a deep red, “Alfred Jones!”

The alpha froze and Arthur thought he’d be yelled at for calling out his name.

Instead, a small smirk tugged at Alfred’s lips, “Yeah man, that was him. Nah, he’s not gonna eat you, come get him now.”

Arthur fumed, reddening down to the roots of his hair, “Mr. Jones this is highly unnecessary, all this is causing is less pay for me and less work to be done for you.”

“This doesn’t affect your pay if it’s an omega-personal leave, Arthur,” Alfred said with an air of nonchalance. He turned off his Bluetooth and put his phone down on his desk. “And it’s not like you’re the only thing here that I can boss around.”

Thing? To boss around? Obviously, that was all Arthur was to Alfred, which the omega wouldn’t have cared about if his mind wasn’t already muddled and hormonal.

“Plus, the last thing I want is you to go into your heat in my office,“

Arthur cringed at the imagery. It was no use getting worked up over it. Alfred meant it in the best way, and if Arthur dared to think it… he could also say that Alfred had different reasons for sending Arthur out.

Was the alpha losing his self-control?

Yes. Now that he’d thought about it, Alfred seemed to be quite flustered himself. He was hidden behind his desk, in a seat with his legs crossed, beads of sweat popping at his hairline. Long fingers brushed back his caramel-blonde hair and fluttered down to tap against the wood of the desk nervously.

Now blushing profusely himself, the omega nodded to avoid further explanation. He didn’t let his mind linger on the consequences lest the place between his legs got off to it. It was an oddly arousing thought. Being one of the ten omegas in the building…

Ew. Preheat was definitely getting to his head. Throat suddenly feeling dry again, Arthur swallowed, moistening his lips. “I guess I’ll just go.”

“Take your time off, Arthur. Come back when you’re ready.”

“Yes, Mr. Jones.” Blushing yet again, Arthur scurried out, bumping into the alpha who’d been waiting outside the door. 

Francis recoiled, his papers scattering onto the carpeted floor. Cornflower-blue eyes widening, the bearded alpha bent down to pick them up. Obviously noting the ruby tint in Arthur’s skin, Francis furrowed his brows, “Are you okay, Arthur? You look a little red, _mon ami.”_

Arthur just walked away in a daze, footsteps loud as they pattered down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this last Christmas so it’s kinda holiday themed. I would’ve waited until Christmas to post it but that would just be cruel on my part haha. I don’t know why, but I’m really reluctant to post this. I promise I’ll try to make the next chapter better but I’m also going to try not to use betas and improve my writing a bit, so the next one may not be that great hehe. Sorry for this long note!
> 
> Please tell me how I can improve my writing! That would be a great help for me! Also, I update faster on my Tumblr- 'gallifreyanlibertea' if anyone is interested c:

Arthur hadn’t expected to be scolded by his boss upon his return… even if it was nothing more than a bark of displeasure. 

Alfred’s coffee had tasted a little too sugary that morning and naturally, the alpha aimed his aggravation at Arthur. But instead of mentally plotting a thousand ways to kill the man, the omega was somewhat relieved that Alfred would continue the ruthless behavior with him even after seeing him at his weakest. After the preheat scare in Alfred’s office, Arthur thought for sure that his boss would treat him like the fragile omega he’d appeared to be. One caught off guard by his nature; a shaking and trembling mess of emotion… or just a cute little bobble head to make the office easier on the eyes. 

But Alfred paid no heed of his assistant’s omega nature even after it had been made crystal clear, and Arthur liked that challenge. He liked having the same opportunity of figuring Alfred out as any other alpha: no extra privileges… just the same ol’ shouty boss for all of them.

Arthur didn’t mind that one bit.

The omega found that it took some effort to peel away at an outer mask. Though it was his specialty to look into the depths of complex characters, Alfred was a tough person to crack. Arthur would see fragments of raw personality in those lively blue eyes and the alpha would be quick to cover it up like he had something to hide. 

Yet some things came easily to the omega. Quirks that were too broad to cover up came jumping at him without Arthur having to look for them. Though it took him a while to be fully integrated into the office, he soon found out its inner workings. Which colleague did what, how they thought- 

Though they weren’t a hive mind, there were some things that virtually everyone in the building feared. For example, holidays. 

Because Alfred Jones was the most spirited man on Earth when it came to those.

Halloween had been torture. Arthur was jump scared by his boss as soon as he’d came in through the door. The tall blonde man had been perched on his desk wearing some sort of black superhero costume, ready to jump right at the omega as soon as the door was opened. Arthur was then forced into the tightest pair of green shorts paired with a hideous red top, a black eye mask and a matching green cape. 

The omega could’ve easily reported it as assault, but his anger had simmered down by the seemingly innocent remark Alfred had made afterward. Something about Arthur being the ‘Robin to his Batman’ and how the pair was ‘supposed to match each other for the spirit of Halloween in the company to live on’.

“I mean, come on, Pumpkin, you don’t look too bad anyways!” Alfred had said with a sparkling grin, adjusting his bat mask. “Heh, get it? Pumpkin?”

Mr. Jones could be such a child sometimes. An annoying, tantrum-throwing child that always got what he wanted.

And today wasn’t any different.

It was three days before Christmas. Arthur should’ve suspected Alfred had something up his sleeve, especially when he arrived at the gate to find the guard decked in what seemed to be kitsch ornaments. 

“A Christmas tree?” Arthur blinked, not wanting to believe his eyes. The beta man was clad in a ruffled green shirt, brown tights and tinsel, not to mention the star at the top. This time, he didn’t greet Arthur with a beaming grin, but rather a sour frown. The costume was obviously not his idea.

Arthur hummed dismissively and walked past him, shoes crunching against the freshly salted snow. With a grunt, he pushed through the glass doors and dropped the neatly wrapped gift in his hand under the office Christmas tree for the secret Santa event.

The day so far? Slightly off. Arthur didn’t seem to see Alfred around so perhaps he was already in his office. 

It wasn’t until he bumped into another colleague and noticed the costume she had been wearing did he realize that everyone within the four walls of the building was dressed like elves.

Actual, factual elves with pointy ears, hats and shoes.

Did he miss the memo?

Feeling a bit out of place and equal parts scared, Arthur made his way to the elevator, fingers fumbling with the button.

“Hey, Sugar Plum! How do I look?”

Though his boss wasn’t yelling, his voice still managed to be distinctly thunderous. Startled, the omega tossed a look over his shoulder. 

Oh dear God…

He couldn’t hold it back. Arthur outright hooted in laughter, finger pointing at Alfred’s ridiculous Father Christmas costume- complete with the rounded glasses and the red suit obviously meant for the stereotypical, plump Santa body. It was baggy on Alfred’s lanky frame and that was far too funny to pass up. 

Strangely, no one else was reacting. That didn’t stop Arthur, however. He laughed and laughed and laughed until he felt like his lungs couldn’t squeeze out any more air, and all the while, Alfred watched him with a frown ever present on his face.

“Is it that bad?”

“No!” Arthur wheezed, “I never expected this… oh my God, Mr. Jones!”

With a ding, the elevator doors opened and Alfred held Arthur back, eyes darting nervously into the machine before letting the omega enter. “Where’s your Christmas spirit!?”

Arthur chuckled, his airy laughter subsiding into a faint grin, “I don’t take part in such things. My Christmas spirit is solely confined to my heart and soul.”

“You don’t mean that.” Alfred declared, “I… I think I have something for you in the room that’ll change your mind.”

Arthur pursed his lips, attempting to look somewhat surprised and excited for what Alfred had in store for him when in reality, the whole idea of it sounded a tad bit shifty to him.

The elevator doors opened at their floor. Alfred reached his hands into his pockets and fished out a candy cane, offering it to his assistant to which Arthur politely declined.

“So, what do you think of when you think of Santa Claus?” The alpha said, his mock absentmindedness arousing curiosity in Arthur. _What was Alfred playing at?_

The omega then paused, “Mr. Jones, please tell me you don’t have a Mrs. Claus costume for me.”

Alfred laughed dismissively, “No. It’s better than that.”

Something foreign churned in his stomach as he was lead to the office room, the arm around his shoulders more menacing than he thought the action could be. It was only Christmastime, so Arthur shouldn’t be as scared as he was now, but he couldn’t help gasp as the door was thrown open and an arm was thrown out to bar him yet again.

 _“Christ!”_ Hissed his boss.

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, “What is it, Mr. Jones?”

One look answered his question. The entire ceiling of the room was covered in mistletoe.  

“I bet both my balls it was Francis.” Alfred cursed. The alpha’s arm still barricaded his entrance to the room and Arthur shook his head, attempting to pry it off.

“I have no doubt it was him, Mr. Jones, but you do realize that the presence of the mistletoe doesn’t have to disturb our day? We can just choose not to, er- _engage_ in such activities, that’s all.”

Alfred’s eyes widened behind his glasses and he gave a loud, exaggerated gasp, “Arthur! You totally _are_ a grinch! Who doesn’t kiss under mistletoe!?”

Arthur rolled his eyes, shoving past his boss and throwing his bag to the floor. The assistant beckoned for Alfred to follow and the alpha did so reluctantly, every step under the ceiling making the man flinch. 

“Tradition is tradition, but it’s just uncouth in an environment like this Mr. Jones, surely you understand?”

Alfred pouted.

“Now do you mind if I use your chair?” Arthur asked, dragging the chair out to the middle and stepping on it with shaking uncertainty. When he was sure it wouldn’t collapse under him, he stretched up to see if his fingertips could graze the leaf. If Alfred was going to be stubborn about it, Arthur had no choice but to attempt to remove the mistletoe. That way, maybe they could go about their day in peace. 

No luck. The tips of his nails barely grazed it. “Why don’t you try, Mr. J-”

The omega yelped aloud in surprise as he was held by the knees and hoisted into the air, _“Bleeding Hell!”_

“Can ya get them all?”

“Put me down!”

Alfred sighed, arms clenching around his squirming assistant. Not even a beached fish flopped around as much as Arthur did. “You’re way too sensitive, dude.”

The omega wasn’t paying attention as Alfred went on to warn him that he may be dropped. Instead, he continued thrashing around, throwing both insults and fists at his boss, cheeks burning red with embarrassment, “Put me down, Mr. Jones!” 

He’d expected Alfred to outright refuse again, so he was in for a harsh surprise when the alpha let go of all hold on him. Arthur felt as if he was spontaneously falling through the air to his imminent death and his pitiful life from the day he first stepped into the office flashed before him.  

He was then caught again, crumpling in Alfred’s arms as his boss held him like a bride. There was no doubting the red flush in Alfred’s face, possibly from the lack of strength to keep Arthur supported, so Arthur found himself dropping again, this time to the floor. With an undignified curse, he helped himself to his feet, brushing off his clothing and attempting to skewer Alfred with his laser-sharp glare.

“That- was _highly_ uncivil.” Arthur managed to choke out. He desperately tried to catch his breath, which was quite a fruitless attempt. It was then he felt his boss’ hands on his shoulders, slowly inching off his jacket.

“Mr. Jones, this isn’t the time to be undressing me.”

Alfred had managed to tug off the garment entirely and bunch it up in his hands, tossing it onto his desk as he shrugged off his work bag. After rummaging in it for a while, his hands came back full of what was possibly the ugliest sweater Arthur had ever seen.

“It’s for you,” Alfred declared. “It’s your costume.”

A pause.

“It’s a brown, hideous sweater with frayed threads and unidentifiable patterns,” Arthur announced, a bit disgusted. “It is most certainly not a costume.”

The thing was then forced onto him. “Mr. Jones please maintain some sort of decency!” he shrieked.

“Nope,” Alfred said with a satisfied grin as Arthur began to put his arms through the sweater, defeat clear on his face. “I’d rather not.”

The omega’s head peeked out of the mound of brown wool and he was startled to hear the sound of tinkling bells. Alfred came up behind him, placing a well fitting bell collar around his neck.

“This is downright degrading,” Arthur muttered, tugging at his new neck restraint. Alfred clicked his tongue.

“You haven’t seen it all yet, Artie.”

Now he was scared.

“You are now-” Alfred pulled something out of his bag, “-my very own-”, he placed the antlered headband on Arthur’s mane of disheveled blonde hair, “-little reindeer!”

“Oh my God, burn it.” Arthur hissed, attempting to tug it off when his wrists were caught, to which he cried out a frustrated, “Mr. Jones!”

“Don’t be naughty, Artie, you still haven’t seen it all.” Alfred cooed with a shake of his finger. Arthur sighed and let his arms fall limp at his sides.

“Alright then, let me have it.”

Alfred grinned, reaching into his pocket and coming back with a little cylindrical container. He popped it open and dipped his thumb into it, “You’re not just _any_ reindeer, Arthur. No, _you_ are the very special, very loved-”

He spread the red paint on the tip of Arthur’s nose in a neat circle, taking the man by surprise.

“Rudolph!”

Arthur’s widened emerald eyes slowly narrowed down to accusing slits and the omega hissed, “I’m going to kill you.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Alfred said with an absolutely mocking cackle, skittering to the other side of the room to escape Arthur’s charge of rage. The alpha couldn’t help but laugh harder as every step Arthur took made a pleasant jingling noise. “Come on now, Rudie, you wouldn’t hurt your master, would ya?”

“I’m going to rip your balls from between your legs and eat them.”

“Aww, have a carrot instead?”

“I- I’m going to roast you over an open flame!” Arthur shrieked.

 _“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose~”_ Alfred began to sing, mimicking the deep tones of a stereotypically old Christmas song. 

“Oh don’t you start it, Mr. Jones, don’t you _start_ it!”

_“And if you ever saw it… you would even say it glows!”_

Arthur growled, launching himself at his boss and beating him with closed fists. Alfred had the nerve to continue laughing under the assault, gripping the omega’s shoulders and heaving him off with an exaggerated grunt, “Hey- okay, calm down, if I give you twenty bucks, will you keep it on for the day?”

Arthur froze, “Maybe.”

“Done deal, you’ll have your money at the end of the day,” The alpha said, collecting his bearings by smoothing down his already rumpled Santa suit, “I want this entire building drowning in Christmas joy, and I’m not stopping for the sake of one little Arthur.”

The little Arthur in question crinkled his nose, “Fine.”

With the promise of money in his mind, the omega attempted to live out his day somewhat peacefully. He tuned out the jeers and jokes made at him downstairs, which was quite easy considering they were all dressed like elves in the first place.

So with hot chocolate in hand, Arthur stomped up to Alfred’s office, barging in and plopping it on his desk, “One hot chocolate, as requested earlier, Mr. Jones.”

“Aww, why the long face?” Alfred asked genuinely, eyebrows furrowing over darkened blue eyes. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his desk, “Did all of the others laugh and call you names?”

Arthur grit his teeth. Never mind. Alfred didn’t have a sincere bone in his body.

_“They didn’t let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games~”_

“This is the final straw!” Arthur warned halfheartedly, turning his back with a huff and alphabetizing random papers within his reach.

“Hey! Hey, alright,” Alfred said, drawing out the word in defeat. He laid back in his seat, sipping loudly at his hot chocolate,“So tell me, how are you going to spend your Christmas if your family can’t stand your Grinch-ness?”

Arthur shrugged, “With my cat by a hot fire, watching classics and trying not to burn my dinner. Nothing special.”

Alfred frowned, “You’re spending Christmas alone?”

“My family is made up of dicks. Both literally and figuratively. I have too many brothers, and that can be bothersome sir, I’d rather not spoil perfectly good alone time.”

“Well,” Alfred sat up, eyes sparkling, “I’m spending Christmas with Mattie, Francis, and Pops!”

His boss always made that face when he talked about his family. An expression with the innocence of a toddler- it was refreshing to look at in contrast to his usually hardened and gritty personality. 

Arthur’s response was cut off by the sound of a door being thrown open.

“Secret Santa.” the man on the other side said monotonously, tossing two presents inside before walking right back out. 

“What did you get?” Arthur asked with mock curiosity, knowing quite well what was in the box, having put it there himself. 

Alfred had shot out of his desk and scrambled to pick up his present from the floor, ripping through his wrapping paper and smashing through the packaging.

“Ooh! I got a new video game!” he said gleefully, “I never told anyone I wanted it! Arthur, was it you, huh!?”

Arthur pursed his lips, avoiding the question. “I wonder what I got.”

The omega had finally managed to free himself from the packaging, but what he saw wasn’t worth the effort.

Red, lacy lingerie. 

Packed to the side were some sort of beads and a plug. Arthur hoped to God the weren’t what they thought they were.

“Oh my God.” Alfred snorted, obviously trying to contain the inevitable outburst of laughter. “That’s…”

Arthur glared at his boss balefully.

“Hey, at least, your special someone will be very happy to see you in it.” Alfred tried to reason. 

The omega scoffed, “The only special someone I have is my Mother, and she’d roll in her grave if she saw me in such a scandalous thing.”

Alfred’s expression softened, “I’m sorry.”

Arthur shrugged and reached back into the box, pulling out the next item and inspecting it with crinkled features. “Vibrating beads.” 

Alfred had reverted back to his annoying self by then. Arthur could barely hear his thoughts through that obnoxious laughter. 

That was when Arthur noticed the note neatly placed inside the box. A small message was penned in with purple glitter ink:

_ho, ho, ho ;)_

“Francis Bonnefoy.” Was the first thought that came to mind, something the omega accidentally spat out. 

“How do you know it was him? It could’a been me, ya know.” Alfred protested, brows furrowed.

“Ha, ha.” Arthur said, tone dripping with acid, “You’re not that gross.”

“Yeah?” Alfred tapped his chin, “Well, you know what they say, right Arthur?”

Arthur tilted his head in confusion.

_“Then one foggy Christmas eve, Santa came to say, ‘ho, ho, ho’~”_

Arthur groaned, massaging his temples, “This is not the time, Mr. Jones, I’m in the middle of a crisis-”

Alfred was smirking, obviously not paying any attention to Arthur’s protests. Striding to where his assistant stood, he took the material of the lingerie between his fingers,“Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you- _ride my sleigh_ tonight?”

Arthur paused. It took him a while to comprehend the situation and a silence simmered in between them as the words sank in. 

The omega heated up like a furnace.

He cleared his throat, pushing Alfred’s chest slightly with his finger, trying to play it off with a stiff upper lip when in reality he felt like he’d melt into a puddle if Alfred didn’t back up.

“Mr. Jones…” Arthur flushed a deeper red if it were even possible, fidgeting around before turning his back, “I- uh, I’m going to go yell at Francis.”

“Go get me some gingerbread cookies while you’re at it,” Alfred said with a professional smile, leaning against his desk like nothing happened. It was honestly one of his more annoying habits: doing so much yet acting like he did nothing at all. It was acceptable in some situations but Arthur simply couldn’t stand it now.

Or perhaps he was reading too much into it. 

With a shaky inhale and a nod aimed mostly at calming himself down, the omega let his hand fall on the doorknob, “Yes, Mr. Jones.”

**Author's Note:**

> This has already been written out for the most part and will be posted as edited. As you can see, I'm trying out something new with the titles and summary being quotes from the actual chapter... I hope it doesn't sound too weird. This has been on my Tumblr for a while and I apologize for not posting it earlier.


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